The Importance of Alphonso Davies

[Alex]

1 minute ago, InglewoodJack said:

Is that a real quote? I wonder if his chances to play gold cup are higher if we win nations league or if we lose.

That’s exactly what he says in the video

[scullion44]

Raphael Guerreiro to Bayern. Davies will have some good competition if he’s still at Bayern next season.

[Jack1997]

What is the point, Davies is one of best LBs in world football and you go and get another one of the best? Davies gotta get TF outta there.

[jhoops__]

There going to lose Cancelo and Pavard so Bayern needed cover in that position.

[Kadenge]

1 minute ago, jhoops__ said:

There going to lose Cancelo and Pavard so Bayern needed cover in that position.

They also have Hernandez

[jhoops__]

Likely selling him too 

[InglewoodJack]

Davies gotta flex muscle and tell them if they want him to be the face of Bayern they gotta play him up the pitch. 

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

Fabrizio Romano interview with his agent:

Sounds like a new contract was close before the shuffle at Bayern.

Of course, he can't say anything concrete on a transfer but the fact he does an interview with Romano, to me at least, means they are looking to move this summer.  

[Unnamed Trialist]

Real Madrid just signed Fran García, who is a young left back at Rayo, and a former RM academy player. This has been talked about for a year or so. They probably would have signed him regardless.

As Madrid just spent over 100 million euros on Bellingham, and will probably have to sign an expensive striker to replace Benzema, that will be 200 million spent. 

After that, I seriously doubt they can get anywhere near what Bayern would want for Phonzie, say 70 million and probably more, seeing he has 2 years on the contract. They are not going to spend over 300 million this summer. 

I find the interview with AD's agent very odd. No agents talk like that, when a player is midcontract, with Fabrizio, at least not this way. Humming and hawing, insinuating, all very rudimentary, a rather clumsy way to pressure Bayern. The fact is that few clubs can pay what they want, they can't legally negotiate with Alphonso, it is all a bit vulgar. My opinion, when I see agents like that, is that should politely go f themselves.

[InglewoodJack]

58 minutes ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

Fabrizio Romano interview with his agent:

Sounds like a new contract was close before the shuffle at Bayern.

Of course, he can't say anything concrete on a transfer but the fact he does an interview with Romano, to me at least, means they are looking to move this summer.  

I think it’s all tactics to get Bayern to wake up and give them what they want. Bayern is a giant who probably thinks they can deal with their players on their terms, Davies’ camps see him as one of the best young players on earth, BM has probably assumed over the last few years that he’s going to be a lifer, so now Davies’ camp is going around and saying well, actually, no, he’s an incredibly important asset that big clubs want to sign, so either cut the crap or you’re losing the guy.

[GasPed]

53 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

I think it’s all tactics to get Bayern to wake up and give them what they want. Bayern is a giant who probably thinks they can deal with their players on their terms, Davies’ camps see him as one of the best young players on earth, BM has probably assumed over the last few years that he’s going to be a lifer, so now Davies’ camp is going around and saying well, actually, no, he’s an incredibly important asset that big clubs want to sign, so either cut the crap or you’re losing the guy.

I agree - and let's be fair - Huoseh was sitting in Munich ready to sign a deal, and at the last minute it's binned, and  nobody calls him.  What kind of message does that send to him?  "Sorry, deal's off" or "The guy you did business with no longer works here and now you're going to have start again with someone else" or "Actually, we are re-evaluating our options and we'll get back to you"?  I mean, if Bayern walks away at the last minute, what do you expect Huoseh to do?  I think I might start pulling the levers in the media too if I were him.

Edited June 9, 2023 by GasPed

[InglewoodJack]

41 minutes ago, GasPed said:

I agree - and let's be fair - Huoseh was sitting in Munich ready to sign a deal, and at the last minute it's binned, and  nobody calls him.  What kind of message does that send to him?  "Sorry, deal's off" or "The guy you did business with no longer works here and now you're going to have start again with someone else" or "Actually, we are re-evaluating our options and we'll get back to you"?  I mean, if Bayern walks away at the last minute, what do you expect Huoseh to do?  I think I might start pulling the levers in the media too if I were him.

I think it's really just this. Bayern is publicly saying that Davies, alongside Musiala are going to be the faces of the franchise but in the background are showing him that locking in his deal asap isn't a priority so the agent is basically saying that if Davies isn't important enough to be the top priority for the biggest club in Germany, that's fine, because the biggest club in Spain, or the biggest club in England will be more than happy to roll out the red carpet to bring him onboard.

You see this with every big free agent in any sport that is about to resign with his current team- team drags their feet on signing an extension, then Woj or Adam Schefter or Fab or whoever drops a rumor that such and such team are clearing cap space to bring the player in or they were seen in the player's city, and then a week later it's announced that the player signed a massive deal with their current club and that it was never really in question whether he'd resign or not.

[Unnamed Trialist]

Have you seen the press today that Davies says he was not signed by former president of FCB Josep Maria Bartomeu because he was Canadian.

https://www.sport.es/es/noticias/barca/alphonso-davies-culpa-bartomeu-haber-88566437

I agree that Bartomeu, who left us a disastrous financial mess, and was a terrible communicator, could have done better in a lot of things. But it is odd that he'd say that, at that time, for one clear reason: we signed Ballou Tabla in January 2018. Precisely when Davies was negotiating to go to Bayern. Sure, the cost and committment would have been different, but I don't think there was a per se discrimination against a certain nationality.

In any case, I am glad this comes out, because it is a message to all clubs, and benefits the profile and image of Canadian players when going into transfer situations.

I will agree that there are some general biases, and perhaps logical. Barça want to sign a hot Brazilian but is not so interested in the best Paraguayan. We have very few young players from Northern or Eastern Europe because we just assume, that for a European, better a Spaniard or Dutch player.

Edited June 12, 2023 by Unnamed Trialist

[Bison44]

When Tabla signed with Barca wasnt he flirting with Ivory Coast/Drogba and not accepting calls to canada??  

[El Hombre]

11 minutes ago, Bison44 said:

When Tabla signed with Barca wasnt he flirting with Ivory Coast/Drogba and not accepting calls to canada??  

I think this is it exactly.  He had Drogba opening doors for him and it was unlikely that Drogba was introducing him as Canadian.

[El Diego]

1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Have you seen the press today that Davies says he was not signed by former president of FCB Josep Maria Bartomeu because he was Canadian.

https://www.sport.es/es/noticias/barca/alphonso-davies-culpa-bartomeu-haber-88566437

I agree that Bartomeu, who left us a disastrous financial mess, and was a terrible communicator, could have done better in a lot of things. But it is odd that he'd say that, at that time, for one clear reason: we signed Ballou Tabla in January 2018. Precisely when Davies was negotiating to go to Bayern. Sure, the cost and committment would have been different, but I don't think there was a per se discrimination against a certain nationality.

In any case, I am glad this comes out, because it is a message to all clubs, and benefits the profile and image of Canadian players when going into transfer situations.

I will agree that there are some general biases, and perhaps logical. Barça want to sign a hot Brazilian but is not so interested in the best Paraguayan. We have very few young players from Northern or Eastern Europe because we just assume, that for a European, better a Spaniard or Dutch player.

I don't have the sources handy, but I do recall this story coming out around the time Davies transferred to Bayern (though it wasn't Davies commenting on it at that time)

[Greatest Cockney Rip Off]

1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Have you seen the press today that Davies says he was not signed by former president of FCB Josep Maria Bartomeu because he was Canadian.

https://www.sport.es/es/noticias/barca/alphonso-davies-culpa-bartomeu-haber-88566437

I agree that Bartomeu, who left us a disastrous financial mess, and was a terrible communicator, could have done better in a lot of things. But it is odd that he'd say that, at that time, for one clear reason: we signed Ballou Tabla in January 2018. Precisely when Davies was negotiating to go to Bayern. Sure, the cost and committment would have been different, but I don't think there was a per se discrimination against a certain nationality.

In any case, I am glad this comes out, because it is a message to all clubs, and benefits the profile and image of Canadian players when going into transfer situations.

I will agree that there are some general biases, and perhaps logical. Barça want to sign a hot Brazilian but is not so interested in the best Paraguayan. We have very few young players from Northern or Eastern Europe because we just assume, that for a European, better a Spaniard or Dutch player.

Pretty sure this was discussed on here a few years ago and you or someone else said the same thing. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

8 hours ago, El Hombre said:

I think this is it exactly.  He had Drogba opening doors for him and it was unlikely that Drogba was introducing him as Canadian.

Drogba had zip influence at Barcelona. Nobody gives a flying f about Drogba here, if you don't know anything about Barcelona-Chelsea rivalries, well Chelsea is the English anti-Barça. If anything, Drogba was trying to get Chelsea to move for Tabla. Don't want to downplay it, maybe I am wrong. 

Now if you want to argue that FCB is not generally interested in players straight out of MLS, then true, we are not. I still think it is, in general, a poor proving ground for players aspiring to the highest level.

There was no interest in Davies here, I think this is mostly bogus, and a bit of the current plan he and his agent have to pressure Bayern. This is also a classic manouever when you want one of Barça or Real Madrid to move for a player, talk about the other of the Spanish giants, seen it for years.

It is the best thing to do if you want Real Madrid, whose coach is married to a Vancouverite, to perk up their ears.

Anyways, FCB were not looking for that profile at all, because we had one of the best LB in the world, namely Jordi Alba. Even playing hardly anything this year his stats in attack are better than Davies, in sharp decline he's more dangerous at a LB than Davies in his prime. Ok, Davies at that time was being touted as an attacking winger, that is what Bayern actually started him as, on the right. Inverted wings, they were coming off Robben and Ribery. Which is how Barça would always play an attacking outside player, inverted. And we'd just signed Dembele in the summer of 2017, 20 years old, to play on the right and turn in. So there was no place for a LB, and no place for a RW. 

Edited June 12, 2023 by Unnamed Trialist

[Unnamed Trialist]

8 hours ago, Bison44 said:

When Tabla signed with Barca wasnt he flirting with Ivory Coast/Drogba and not accepting calls to canada??  

It is true there it was up in the air. When I went to see him play for Barcelona B, in the Mini Estadi, when they were still up in 2nd division, there was a small contigent of Ivory Coast fans who'd show up, maybe 10-12. I went with a Canadian flag a few times. 

Still, it makes no sense to me to argue Barcelona a priori rejected a player of African origins with Canadian nationality, Davies, the same year they were signing another born in African of Canadian nationality, Tabla. I mean, Davies had just gotten his nationality the summer of 2017 and got his first Canada cap then, while Tabla had represented Canada u-15, u17, u18, he was more firmly identified as a Canadian than Davies.

[Bigandy]

20 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Drogba had zip influence at Barcelona. Nobody gives a flying f about Drogba here, if you don't know anything about Barcelona-Chelsea rivalries, well Chelsea is the English anti-Barça. If anything, Drogba was trying to get Chelsea to move for Tabla. Don't want to downplay it, maybe I am wrong. 

Now if you want to argue that FCB is not generally interested in players straight out of MLS, then true, we are not. I still think it is, in general, a poor proving ground for players aspiring to the highest level.

There was no interest in Davies here, I think this is mostly bogus, and a bit of the current plan he and his agent have to pressure Bayern. This is also a classic manouever when you want one of Barça or Real Madrid to move for a player, talk about the other of the Spanish giants, seen it for years.

It is the best thing to do if you want Real Madrid, whose coach is married to a Vancouverite, to perk up their ears.

Anyways, FCB were not looking for that profile at all, because we had one of the best LB in the world, namely Jordi Alba. Even playing hardly anything this year his stats in attack are better than Davies, in sharp decline he's more dangerous at a LB than Davies in his prime. Ok, Davies at that time was being touted as an attacking winger, that is what Bayern actually started him as, on the right. Inverted wings, they were coming off Robben and Ribery. Which is how Barça would always play an attacking outside player, inverted. And we'd just signed Dembele in the summer of 2017, 20 years old, to play on the right and turn in. So there was no place for a LB, and no place for a RW. 

I 100% agree that this is mostly nonsense. No top team would look at a player and say they are going to be worth 100million one day but hes canadian so lets not sign him. 

As for the tactic to talk poorly about barca so RM is interested - I dont understand. 
Why would RM see barca rejecting a player and then increase RM desire to sign that player? If anything, that player is a barca reject and you want a guy whos better than Barca, not below.

On the flip side, if you say barca made a mistake and davies is an all star now, why does talking about barca matter. RM already know davies exists. Its not like hearing barca rejected davies 5 years ago will make RM rate davies better and be more likely to sign him.  

[InglewoodJack]

My conspiracy theory is that this is a part of his contract negotiation. Surely he has enough pull to make him playing upfront a condition of him staying with Bayern:

 

[Kadenge]

30 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

My conspiracy theory is that this is a part of his contract negotiation. Surely he has enough pull to make him playing upfront a condition of him staying with Bayern:

 

I dunno man. That's really going public and the choice of words...🤔

[Ruffian]

18 minutes ago, Kadenge said:

I dunno man. That's really going public and the choice of words...🤔

"Here we go three, four year later I'm stuck there" Definitely sounds like he doesn't want to continue playing left back.

[VinceA]

Considering how the biggest clubs in the world see him, if he wants to be a winger he probably needs to go to a club a rung below the Citys and Madrids. Doesn't seem like any of those guys have any interest on using him as a winger.

[InglewoodJack]

I dunno. He’s a 23 year old superstar with clear offensive abilities and a club that desperately wants to make him the face of their team. It would be wise for Bayern to acquiesce and at least try it, though I don’t think any club would purchase him to play anything other than LB.